50. I Am the Myriad Demons Palace!
“I’ve been waiting for this!”
Among the fleeing crowd, a gray-robed elder leaped forward and engaged Tian Shangque, the Young Palace Master of the Myriad Demons Palace, in a fierce battle.
As the Young Palace Master, Tian Shangque’s cultivation was already at the peak of Earthly Nether realm. Although the Grand Elder was at Heavenly Venerable realm, his recent injuries had weakened him considerably, and they were evenly matched.
The three-sided conflict seemed to be turning against the First Prince.
Even with the pills, Shangguan Qingyun could only fight the sudden assassin to a standstill, and the assassin’s true essence reserves were far greater than his.
Once the pills’ effects wore off, he would be at a disadvantage.
“Who are you!?”
Shangguan Qingyun cried out, fear creeping into his voice. He wanted to retreat.
But just then, a holy light struck the puppet, disabling it, and Ghost Lord Nine frowned in the distance.
“What’s happening again?”
Unaware of what had happened to his puppet, he could only continue controlling the other one, attacking Shangguan Yaochang.
But this didn’t mean…
That Shangguan Qingyun was safe.
A sea of fire erupted around the arena, engulfing everything.
“What the—!?”
Before he could react, Shangguan Qingyun was sent flying by a powerful palm strike, coughing up blood.
Demonic energy… a demonic technique!?
He turned around and saw a woman with long, purplish-black hair appearing before him, ready to strike again.
“Shangguan Ziyuan!”
It was Shangguan Ziyuan, who had just revealed her identity.
He countered with a palm strike, but it was no match for her demonic power. His hair ornament shattered, and he was thrown back several meters.
Why… why!?
“How… how are you still alive? How did you gain such power!?” Shangguan Qingyun roared, “No… impossible! You’re not Shangguan Ziyuan! Who are you, demon!?”
“Heh…”
Lu Xinyao sneered, “Did you search for my body? And if you did, what did you find?”
Shangguan Qingyun: “…”
“But I should thank you, brother.”
The girl slowly approached, and Shangguan Qingyun retreated until he could retreat no further.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have formed such a deep bond with Big Sister. For that, I’ll at least ensure your body isn’t left to rot in the wilderness.”
“Ridiculous!”
Facing death, Shangguan Qingyun’s survival instincts kicked in.
He was at Soul Origin realm! How could he lose to this girl!?
“Die!” Gathering his strength, he charged towards her, unleashing a powerful punch.
But the next moment, countless thorns erupted from the ground. Unable to dodge in time, his body, arms, and legs were covered in cuts, his inner energy disrupted.
Then, the girl’s hands transformed into black claws, wreathed in purplish-red flames. With a single strike, she shattered Shangguan Qingyun’s right arm, then slammed him into the arena floor.
“Bam!!!!”
No one saw what happened inside the resulting crater, only cracks spreading across the arena surface.
When the flames subsided, only an unconscious twin sister and a large pit remained.
—
—
The situations on the other two battlefields were equally chaotic.
After a long fight, Shangguan Yaochang’s arm was severed by Ghost Lord Nine’s puppet, and he was kicked out of the arena.
Furious, he cursed at the puppet, “Myriad Demons Palace! You’re all madmen! Without us, how could you possibly defeat the royal family!?”
“Myriad Demons Palace?”
Ghost Lord Nine, in the distance, was completely confused.
What was going on? Why was this man working with the Myriad Demons Palace?
“I am the fucking Myriad Demons Palace!”
Ghost Lord Nine roared back, then looked around suspiciously—wait, weren’t his men supposed to be dealing with those two girls? Why were they attacking others? And why were Shangguan Yaochang and Shangguan Long’s forces fighting each other?
“Are you working with those Myriad Demons Palace bastards?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“What do you mean?”
Before Shangguan Yaochang could answer, a ray of light struck Ghost Lord Nine’s puppet, breaking his control.
“What’s going on!?” He muttered, confused. “The Myriad Demons Palace is double-crossing the Shangguan family? And they dragged me into this to do their dirty work?”
He scratched his head, reaching this conclusion, and slammed his fist on the table in frustration.
“Damn it! I have my own business to attend to! You think you can trick me, Myriad Demons Palace? This isn’t over!”
—
—
Although he had narrowly escaped death, Shangguan Yaochang wasn’t happy.
Because standing before him was a livid Shangguan Lingyue.
“I didn’t want to believe you would do such a thing,” she sneered. “Brother treated you well, and this is how you repay him? Do you have no conscience?”
“What do you know?”
Knowing he was defeated, Shangguan Yaochang smiled bitterly. “The throne was rightfully mine! He altered the late Emperor’s edict and eliminated all the officials and eunuchs involved. That fire… do you remember that fire?”
“The fire…”
Shangguan Lingyue frowned.
She remembered that fire, the fire that destroyed most of the palace decades ago, killing countless officials and eunuchs. The edict’s hiding place was only revealed by a dying man.
And the edict didn’t name the favored Shangguan Yaochang as the heir, but a seemingly incompetent prince, Shangguan Yaolong.
And this Shangguan Yaolong, after ascending the throne, changed his name to Shangguan Long.
Many had questioned the fire, but everyone involved was dead, and the edict was the only proof. Moreover, after becoming Emperor, Shangguan Long treated his brother exceptionally well, even offering him the position of regent.
So, the matter was eventually dropped.
